I guess you and I will have to differ on the subject of pork ribs etc…

Personally, I like the theories of Rabbi Harold Kushner in that regard. He says that the kosher “forbidden foods” accomplish two things — first, they train people in self-discipline (particularly in a place, like America, where non-kosher temptations are everywhere); and second, they remind us that, while killing animals in order to eat is acceptable, it must never be done lightly. (There are no kosher restrictions on eating plants, for example.) If that doesn’t make sense to you, that’s fine; I’m not gonna tell you what to eat.

In a certain sense, commandments from God have the same force as a restraining order. Unless you truly believe that God will strike you down if you disobey, well, what you do with God’s commandments is between you and Him and your conscience.

When people claim a religious obligation to not defend themselves, I feel sorry for them… and I earnestly hope that, when the rubber meets the road, they will not take others down with them.

Judaism, to which you allude, does not have any restrictions on self-defense that I know of. (Check out jpfo.org.) The sixth commandment, often mistranslated as “thou shalt not kill”, in fact reads in the original as “thou shalt not murder”. Not being a Christian, I’ll leave discussions of “turn the other cheek” to others.

In re telling God to f*** off, you might be surprised at the rich Jewish tradition for such sentiments. One of my favorite jokes involves four rabbis who habitually disagree, three to one, with the same guy always the odd man out; he’s then told “It’s three to one, so we’re right and you’re wrong”. Finally he gets sick of it and asks God to demonstrate with a sign; God obliges, with increasingly dramatic signs, culminating with a booming voice that says “LISTEN TO HIM, HE’S RIGHT.” The fourth rabbi says “So what do you say now?” The others shrug and say “So now it’s three against two.”